This great comment was posted earlier this week. Like Barry's original bloglet this struck a chord so I've posted it in the main blog here. Woodsy.
"What a great article (Nostalgia Aint What it Used To Be by Barry Ford. Ed.) Sigh, the shops in York that no longer exist. Memory Lane card and toy shop. Go up the rickety old narrow staircase to the toy and model section. Thousands of Airfix kits old and new stacked high (well high to an 8 year old).
Woolworths, discovering the awesome Revell Jacques Cousteau's calypso ship and that Christmas battery powered ski slope with lift that I watched in awe for ages in the window as the little figues were pulled up then slid down.
Christmas at Browns department store (still there but no toy section for years), being frightened to death of the Santa, and Mum getting me the Dinky Ed Straker's car from there afterwards.
Precious was York's proper toy shop with Matchbox, Dinky and Corgi's on the shelf, many of the boxes opened for you to touch. Had absolutely everything, packed to the gills. You had to squeeze by other customers all the time, and that's as a kid. How the parents got down the aisles as well...
Moved school and had to go to a new dentist and discovering Monk Bar Model shop with Japanese Hasegawa and Fujimi kits which were bigger and a bit more expensive than Airfix. Never knew the shop or these manufacturers existed. A proper model shop in York, amazing to an 11 year old. Getting a 1/72nd scale Hasegawa Grant tank as a reward for having a tooth filled. (The shop is still there, mostly diecasts and railways now).
The local newsagents that had racks of bagged Airfix kits on those revolving stands. Remember how the instruction used to tell you what each part was? i.e. glue pitot tube A to forward fuselage B. Bought a new cheap kit or a Matchbox car for 10p (2 shillings) virtually every week. Oh and caps for my cowboy and secret agent toy guns. Do caps even exist today?
Discovering the Aurora Star Trek USS Enterprise and Klingon ship in the village hardware store(!). In those days they sold toys and models everywhere. Also discovered a few Frog kits there.
The annual trip to Leeds on the bus and finding Beatties model and toy shop, big shop in a big city. Always getting lost with Mum trying to find the bus station to go home. Beatties has long since gone.
Holidays - Finding the Project Sword Re-entry Task Force 2 and a Captain Scarlet dart gun at a newsagents just outside the caravan park at Sewerby near Bridlington. Lost most of the darts in the caravan park. Searching seaside shops to no avail throughout the seventies and mid eighties to try to replace the Gerry Anderson toys I stupidly threw away. In the sixties and seventies in Blackpool there was a great toy and model shop on the front on the corner of the Tower building. Discovered Aurora kits there. Still remember getting the Aurora Cutlass jet there, building it in the B&B and deciding that it looked far more futuristic with the wings glued on upside down. I drop into Blackpool about once a year now for an half day too (yes Thunderbooks too ) on my way to Lytham St Annes and noticed that it's just a cafe now.
In those days you didn't know when anything was coming out in the shops, only when you spotted it in the shop or saw that one of your mates had one. The number of times I couldn't afford a toy or kit and it had gone when I went back the next week with enough pocket money. - Presto supermarket, Aurora 2001 Orion, I'll always miss you, though I never had you.
Thanks for the memories. Great times. All the best, Yorkie."
Just came across this article, & loved it, so many memories of days gone by !
ReplyDeleteI have lived all my life in York & would like to expand a little further on the many Toy Shops in York when I grew up in the 70's
The best for me was LONDON'S in Heworth, just outside the City centre, biased as it was literally just opposite our house !! Owned at the time (early 70's) by the London Sisters, they knew me & my family very well, on Sundays my parents sent me to London's as it was also a Newsagent, for the Papers & the Sisters always picked out 5 or 6 Comics that had not sold that week, & gave them for free for me & my two Brothers, which was really kind of them - Customer Loyalty at an early age !
The shop was stacked full of Dinky & Corgi toys in boxes stacked high to the ceiling behind the counter on the ground floor.
A staircase to the right led you upstairs, past where they had a glass cabinet with loads of Dinky & Corgi toys on a rotating lift system, which cycled round & around so you got a great look at all the Diecast toys out of their boxes.
Upstairs was chock full of Airfix, Bikes, Girls dolls, prams etc & Lads plastic & metal Guns !! I remember one Birthday walking out with a Marx Copter Squad Rifle, with rotating Gun Belt, Tri-Pod legs & Scope ! - I felt invincible with this kit as I went out playing Japs & Commandos with all the local kids !
Other great shops I remember were MEMORY LANE on High Ousegate as Yorkie said, I remember upstairs the shelves stacked with Dinky Toys as the Blister Packs of the time were stackable.
PRECIOUS Toyshop in Low Petergate was King in York centre, walking in & to the right was racks & racks of Japanese Tinplate toy cars & trucks, along with Dinky & Corgis & Matchbox - it was wall to wall toys - a true alladins cave & place of wonder every time you went in.
BROWNS DEPT store in Davygate, was huge & had a massive toy department on the second floor always remember a stack of the Dinky FAB 1 in Flourescent Pink, but I already had one !
There was a Toyshop in Colliergate, just down from BARNITTS DIY/HOME store,but i got a Dinky MSV from Captain Scarlet, with Speed Wheels & Blue Interior/Steps & in a Blister Pack from this shop in 74 or 75.
Another Toyshop i don't remember it's name, was in Peter Lane, a narrow lane that connected to High Ousegate - I remember getting a Dinky SHADO 2 Mobile from there with Birthday money in a Blister Pack for £2.12 ! - I think the shop later became a Curtains/Haberdashery shop.
BOYES Dept store on bridge street,always had loads of toys, in table bins that you could rummage through - got a Dinky THUNDERBIRD 2 in blister pack from this shop for £2 - always loads of Dinky/Corgi/Matchbox to wade through.
I also remember another toyshop on The PAVEMENT in York, just near the Golden fleece pub, I always remember looking intently at a Dinky SPV in blister pack in the window, as lo & behold Santa brought me one that Xmas ! (black bumper version)
Another shop was on Church Street, by the side entrance to York Market, it became a Cooplands Bakery for years after - cannot remember what it was called, but I remember it had toys affixed to the walls as far as you could see, which went high up to the ceiling - it was a long narrow shop which had a second floor if memory serves correct. Always worth a look just for the awe value as a nipper!
One last shop was right in Front of York MINSTER front doors, in Minster Gates, it was a Gift shop that sold a lot of Diecast Cars etc... predominantly the then NEW 1/24 scale BBURAGO & POLISTIL models from Italy - they used to have long shelves the length of the shop with all the cars displayed out of their boxes ! - my Parents picked up a LANCIA STRATOS Rally Car from here back in 76 or 77 for my Xmas present - overjoyed !!!
hope this was of interest, York had so many great Toy shops back in the day, It made Childhood so special, if only I now had a Time Machine
Thanks for this great response Richard. So many memories. I shall try to contact Yorkie and let him know about your reply.
DeleteThanks Woodsy, It brought a lot of memories back to me as I sat down and wrote that all out, had wanted to do it for a while. I also just remembered another shop on High Ousegate that was a sort of sell anything shop, always remember seeing lots of AURORA Star Trek kits on the shelves, especially the MR SPOCK kit where he is shooting with his Phaser that 3 headed alien snake.
DeleteAlways remember in PRECIOUS shop window the DINKY SPC from Captain Scarlet in the rarer BRONZE colour, bubble pack for 99p but me Dad would not let me buy one at the time !
Wow, Richard, you had some great Anderson die-casts as a kid! As for the bronze SPC I don't think I've ever seen one. Anyways, if you ever showing off what you might still have then send me some pics if you want to see them on Moonbase Central. the email is at the bottom of the page, for me, Woodsy.
DeleteThanks Woodsy, Yes I was Lucky enough to acquire all the Dinky Anderson DIE-CASTS as a Young 'Un, a lot at Xmas & Birthdays & through swapping with your young mates at the time.
DeleteI recall tracking Down JOE'S CAR for years, checking every Toy Shop on Holidays to see if they had one lurking in the back room etc..... to no avail, then we went to Blackpool one day, 77 or 78, checked out the GERRY ANDERSON Exhibit that used to be there, went to the shop at the end & in front of me was a New JOE'S CAR in Blister pack !!
Money was duly handed over, it was my Birthday a few days later - I was so excited & over the moon at finally getting one ! still have it today, not in A1 condition mind but very passable as a display item.
Like all things, most of what I had was trashed, taken apart, re-painted a La Picasso !as you grew up & moved on in life - I since have re-collected what I had as a kid, luckily quite a few years ago, when this stuff was quite cheap & people were not asking daft money. How times change !
Best XMAS I had was in 76 - got Dinky TB2 (MET TURQUOISE) off my Parents, & further down the sack was Dinky FAB 1 off mt Grandparents, both Blister Packs, I was so over joyed, best Xmas morning I ever had !
Also remember in July 75, on a family day out, looking in a Toyshop in Pateley Bridge, I saw these new weird Dinky Spaceships in Green & White called EAGLES from something called SPACE 1999 !!!! This was a good couple of months before it was broadcast in the UK, so merchandise was well out before the show - despite what some others may tell you !
Did not get one that day, but soon after, when you had seen one on screen.
All my Dinkys are up in the loft, will keep that thought of pics, thanks for the offer.
I will E-mail you some pics of an original JR21 FAB 1 which I bought & renovated to how it should have looked - been model making for over 45 years, well pleased with the way it turned out !
Cheers, Richard - oh, I also did a reply to a post about the UFO LUNCH BOX, which you may not have seen - just a bit of random but interesting info !
Thanks Richard! Sounds like you were one happy kid. Thankfully I was too and those classic toys and TV shows had a lot to do with it. It would be ace to see your renovated JR21 FAB1, really. For many years I collected all the obscure JR21 toys and C21 toys I could find like Project SWORD and non-TV stuff like the Fire Tender. The main stuff like Thunderbirds and Joe 90 etc were just too expensive so renovations are always great to see!
DeleteCheers Woodsy ! I certainly had a very happy childhood, both my parents worked bloody hard to give us children what I guess they never had when they were kids. We were always well lavished on Birthdays & Xmas & that was about it - we were all really happy kids ! ( I am 55) Yeah we certainly grew up in a Golden age of TV and Toys - they all certainly helped. I have sent pics of the renovated JR21 FAB 1 to the moonbasecentral@gmail address, so you should check your in-box - if you aint got it let me know & I can re-send it to you. One of my cousins had the huge ZERO X & another had all the THUNDERBIRDS JR21 TOYS - he was a lot older & by the time I was wise to it & I asked if he still had them - like so many they all got binned when he grew up !!
DeleteGot a DAY-FRAN SWORD SPACE GLIDER last year also, dirt cheap, renovated & painted that up - it was the Orange & dark blue underside type - ripped all the electrics & wheels off- didn't work & all goosed anyroad & made it look like a proper Space Glider - will have to take some pics of that sommeday too. & e-mail them to you. Cheers !
We have got to see that repainted Day Fran Glider Richard! Sounds amazing!
DeleteThe shop opposite the Minster was called Pickerings. There were many others in the 50's and 60's but I was only interested in the model railways.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere was also the large Co-oP, Darkings opposite the junction to the Barbican is still there but only as a newsagent and different name. Grimes newsagent on Clarence Street, the shop near High Ousegate was called Ideal. Hooks fishing shop on Coppergate had models, Russels bike shop sold model railways. Before Monk Bar models the owners initially had a shop on Micklegate and for a short while had both. Currys (next to M&S) also sold toys. There are a few others that I cannot remember names, two were in Acomb, one a proper toy shop, the other sold prams etc which is still there, or was recently. Shearsmiths (Shouksmiths later) on Blossom Street sold Trix trains upstairs. Roland Flint who owned Precious had his own shop near Micklegate bar before he bought Precious, which in those days was near or next to Petergate fish shop (Drakes now).
ReplyDeleteFabulous memories GarryH, thanks for sharing. York is such a great place and sounds like it always was.
DeleteBlimey. Amazed to find the old thread! If anyone reads this, the toy shop in Acomb was Rawlings. It was a toy shop and newsagents. I remember getting the Kenner Star Wars Snowspeeder and Rebel Transport from there. The pram shop was called 'Paul Stride's' and was over the road on the corner of Front Street. It also sold bikes and bike accessories . I remember buying many new inner tubes and puncture repair kits from there! It's still around but has moved to the other side of outer York at Monks Cross shopping park near the new football stadium.
DeleteGlad your words are still generating interest Yorkie! Great stuff.
DeleteWoodsy, Beatties in Leeds was called King Charles sports and model shop before Beatties bought it. On the ground floor was sports equipment with model railways upstairs, it's name came from the street it was in.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to York, Boyes on Ouse bridge was probably the most unusual. It sold everything like curtains, beds etc as well as both Hornby Dublo and Tri-ang trains. You could also buy car exhausts, batteries, etc as well I know as I had to buy an exhaust for my first car. At Xmas it had a large model railway display in the centre of one floor.
The very large Co-oP sold both Tri-ang and Hornby Dublo trains and at one time had a Trix layout in the window at the rear of the shop which my parents bought me one Xmas, I have no recollection of other Trix items there though.
Leak and Thorpes used to have their toys downstairs and at Xmas had a model railway and Tri-ang Minic motorways set up.
I got to know Roland Flint (and some staff) in Precious very well and when he retired he gave my quite a few of the spares in stock, he even went to a model railway show to see one of my layouts. One female salesperson bought my son a Thomas from the shop and after closing we used to go the her house at Xmas with flowers until she sadly passed away a few years ago.
As you can tell I am into model railways and not other toys, Memory Lane in Fossgate sold Trix and Woolworths sold Playcraft railways.